Official Name: Known as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam or commonly called Vietnam. The abbreviation for the country is SRV.
Capital city: Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam.
Location: Vietnam is situated in South East Asia. The country shares borders with China, Cambodia and Laos. Three bodies of water surround Vietnam, the Gulf of Tonkin, the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea.
Size: Vietnam occupies approximately 329,000 square kilometers. This area is comparable to the land area of the US State of New Mexico.
Climate: The climate of Vietnam is tropical. It varies in that the southern region is strictly tropical while the northern region experiences a sub tropical monsoon like climate. Topographically there are differences in climate, with the northern highlands experiencing colder and sometimes subzero temperatures in the winter. The rainy season in the south extends from May through November, while the central regions see their rainfall from December to February. Typhoons can form between the months of July and October although they typically only afflict the central and northern regions of the nation.
Population: The population of Vietnam is roughly 86.97 million people.
Life expectancy at birth: Life expectancy at birth for the total population is 71.58 years of age. This ranks 127th globally. There is a difference in life expectancies for the genders, with males averaging 68.78 years, versus females who average 74.57 years.
Prevalence of HIV/AIDS: The prevalence of the disease is around 0.5% of the gross population. This means that around 290,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS and that ranks 24th worldwide.
Major illnesses: The major disease risks in Vietnam are numerous. There is a prevalence of waterborne illnesses such as hepatitis A, bacterial diarrhea and typhoid fever. There are also illnesses that are Vector borne and these include dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis and even plague in certain regions. Other diseases include leptospirosis, rabies and H5N1 (bird flu). Due to a major risk of serious illness in the country, great care and precautions should be taken while visiting there.
Ethnic Groups: Vietnam hosts a variety of ethnic groups. While Viet ethnic peoples comprise the majority of the population, there exist many small pockets of ethnicities nationwide. Their percentages in terms of the entire population are as follows; Viet 82.6%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.7%, Muong 1.5%, Khome 1.4%, Hoa 1.1%, Nun 1.1%, Hmong 1%, Miscellaneous ethnicities 4.1%.
Languages: The official language of Vietnam is Vietnamese. For many years, since the European occupation of the country, French was considered the second language. In recent decades, however, English is taking over as the language of business and development in the country. Chinese and Khmer are also spoken in the nation.
Religion: Being a country founded on communist principles, Vietnam does not have an official religion. There do exist, however, certain percentages of religions that are practiced throughout the country. The percentages of religions in Vietnam are as follows; none 80.8%, Buddhist 9.3%, Catholic 6.7%, Hoa Hao 1.5%, Cao Dai 1.1%, Protestant 0.5%, and 0.1% Islam.
Government: Vietnam is a communist and single party state. This means that there is a strong central influence throughout all aspects of life in the nation. In recent times, however, the government’s socialist ideals have diminished, allowing for greater emphasis on world integration and participation.
Head of State: Vietnam’s President is Nguyen Minh Triet.
Head of Government: Vietnam’s Prime Minister is Nguyen Tan Dung.
Military: Vietnam commits a large amount of its GDP towards its military, or roughly 2.5%. Military service for males is required at the age of 18, while women are able to volunteer. The military has two year compulsory service of all individuals, while the Navy has requirements of three to four years. There is compulsory military service for any male over the age of 18, and males are required to spend a minimum of two years serving in one of the country's armed forces. At this moment there are about 19 million males fit and ready for service in the military.
Economy: Vietnam ranks as one of the fastest growing economies in South East Asia. From 1986 through 1997 the country made significant improvements to limiting abject poverty and attaining sustained economic growth. Given a great deal of deregulation by the government, Vietnam has succeeded in balancing its once volatile stock market and compete with other nations that have established reputations as the economic and financial powerhouses of Asia. By keeping a dedicated commitment to export driven trade, Vietnam has done away with the worst examples of poverty that it faced during its era of isolationism when people used to have salaries less than US$1 daily. Vietnam has surpassed the percentages for extreme poverty of certain comparable developing nations like India, China and the Philippines.
GDP: Vietnam has a GDP purchasing power parity of US$241.8 billion, which ranks 45th globally, and an official exchange rate of US$90.43 billion.
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